Thursday, March 21, 2019

Seattleness: A Cultural Atlas

In May, I will have lived in Seattle for seven years; originally meant to be just a temporary residence, has now become home. Personally, I have observed the growth and development of Seattle, which has drastically changed the personality and appearance of the city. I have only lived in Queen Anne neighborhood, and today, it is almost unrecognizable to me. Constantly, I walked by once familiar streets and buildings, and now notice new businesses and structures, and I cannot remember what use to be in that spot. Memorable Seattle, at times is becoming forgettable. Recently, KOMO produced a film that is available on YouTube called "Seattle is Dying." It is 60 minutes long, and here is the link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b53uiRFq4Ds .

There are definitely times, when I look around at Seattle, and I am sadden by the negative outcomes of Amazon moving into the neighborhood, impacts of climate change, architecture treasures being torn down for high-rises, standstill traffic, pollution causing poor air quality, and higher cost of living; however, as someone who implements Pro/Con Lists for most things, the pros still outnumber the cons immensely. Lately, I read the book Seattleness: A Cultural Atlas, and I was surprised by how much I did not know about the past and present-day Seattle. Per the author's intent, "Seattleness will nudge you in countless ways and challenge you to see the city and region through new, crisp, and yes, sometimes even warped lenses." Through the maps, charts, diagrams, illustrations, and photography in the book,  the reader will learn about 50 real and strange narratives about my beloved city, Seattle. Below are some of my favorite gems of knowledge gained:
  • Gray Anatomy
    • Sherwin-Williams has produced multiple paint colors based on the city's pale pallor (Seattle Gray, Seattle Mist, and just plain Seattle).
    • On average, Seattle has 240 days of cloud cover
  • Mountain Morphology
    • Top six mountains in Washington State: Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Bonanza Peak, and Mount Stuart
    • 10 volcanoes in the state
  • Raising Seattle
    • In January 2017, there were 62 construction cranes in the city, whereas San Francisco had 22.
  • Saucers in the Sky
    • The first ever so-called UFO sighting happened near Mount Rainier in 1947.
    • Today, people in Washington report UFO sightings at a higher per capita rate than any other state, about 300 per year.
    • National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) is headquartered in Seattle, and sightings can be reported to their hotline at 206-722-3000.
  • Aw, Shucks!
    • The state of Washington is the only state in the United States that grows all five major edible oyster species.
  • A Damn Fine Cup of Coffee
    • Seattle and its suburbs contain over a thousand coffee shops, more than a dozen coffee roasters, and many businesses related to coffee sourcing, logistics, and equipment.
    • Top shops are: Starbucks, Top Pot Doughnuts, Cherry Street Coffee House, Caffe Ladro, Tully's Coffee, Uptown Espresso, Caffe Vita, and Gourmet Latte.
  • Sasquatch Sightings
    • Bigfoot Field Researchers Organizations, since 1995, it has collected reports from all over the world, and the largest number comes from Washington State (over 600 sightings from as early as 1812).
  • Humble Beginnings of Seattle Public Library
    • The current library was built in 2004, and cost $165,900,000.
  • Literary Seattle
    • Seattle has ranked in the top-three most literate cities from 2003 to 2016. Rankings are based on six key indicators of literacy: number of bookstores, educational attainment, internet resources, library resources, periodical publishing resources, and newspaper circulation.
  • Ferried Way
    • In 2016, Washington State Ferries carried more than 24 million people and ten million vehicles across the waters.
  • City Microclimates
    • Seattle ranks only forty-fourth for annual precipitations among US major cities.
    • Experiences an average of around 38 inches annually.
    • Area experiences 152 rainy days a year.
    • Seattle's average weather patterns by month (number of rainy days)
      • January =20
      • February =15
      • March =17
      • April =10
      • May =7
      • June =6
      • July =3
      • August =5
      • September =8
      • October =11
      • November =20
      • December= 23
  • Welcome to Seattle
    • From 2010 to 2016 the state grew 8.5% compared to California's 5.4% and New York's 2%.
      • Seattle growth was 15.7%, whereas, San Francisco and New York experienced only 5% growth.
    • In 2016 and 2017, Seattle's average home price increased by 13.4%, landing at $750,000.

Monday, March 11, 2019

Less is More: Everyday Choices that Make A Difference

Seattle Public Utilities sends out a seasonal tips and information for Seattle residents newsletter, which includes different ways to help residents reduce, reuse and recycle everyday. In a previous edition, the title of the newsletter was "Less is More: Everyday Choices That Make A Difference."

We use a lot of stuff. Think about the amount of clothes you own, the food you buy, and the cups of coffee, tea, or juice you drink. The number of things we use every day can seem small or insignificant, but all together and over time buying all that stuff can have a big impact. Buying less means we save more money. Using less means we conserve more natural resources and protect the environment.
  • Reduce: Less stuff means less stress. Reducing the number of things you use means less clutter and more money saved. Buy only what you truly need.
  • Reuse: Find ways to use things to their full value. Using a refillable water bottle, avoiding disposable items, turning leftovers into new meals, and lending your ladder to a neighbor are all ways to get the most use out of your things.
  • Recycle: Give used items a chance to be made into something new by recycling them. Recycling cuts down on waste and the amount of new materials needing to be extracted from the environment to make new items.
    • Before putting next item in the recycling bin, remember:
      • Recycle right. Only accepted items in recycling.
      • Keep it clean. Clean, dry, and no food.
    • Question: Can plastic bottle caps really be recycled?
      • Answer: Yes, plastic caps can be recycled when they are put back on a plastic bottle. Empty the bottle before you screw the cap back on. Loose plastic and metal caps under three inches go in the garbage. They are too small to capture when being sorted at the recycling facility and end up as garbage.
    • Question: Are paper envelopes padded with bubble wrap recyclable? 
      • Answer: No, put them in the garbage. They contain two distinct materials, paper and plastic, which are hard to separate for recycling. Online shopping often comes with a lot of packaging. When possible, request grouping items into fewer shipments to reduce packaging.
    • Additional questions about recycling or compost, find out where it all goes at seattle.gov/util/WhereDoesItGo
Love Your Food
  • Buy what you need. Eat what you have. 
    • Buying only what you need now means you're less likely to throw away food later. Check your fridge and cupboards to see what you already have that needs to be used up. Next, make a meal plan using what you already have. Then, make your shopping list based on your plan, so you don't overbuy. At the store, stick to your shopping list. Don't get distracted by every sale, instead focus on the deals that fit into your meal plan, or choose foods that can be frozen for future meals.
  • Make it last longer.
    • Storing food correctly keeps it fresh longer--helping you waste less food.
      • Store fruits and vegetables away from each other--fruits make vegetables go bad faster.
      • Keep your fridge at or below 40 degrees, and your freezer at 0 degrees.
      • For resources to help you waste less food, visit seattle.gov/util/reducereuse
      • Items that should be stored at room temperature: Bread, ripe bananas, onions, tomatoes, squash, eggplant, and unripe fruit.
  • Compost food scraps.
    • Put all food scraps in the compost. When you throw food scraps in the garbage, you break the nature cycle of food returning to the soil--creating more greenhouse gases. Composting transforms your food scraps into nutrient dense soil that will help grow more food. Keep the food cycle going by eating the food you buy and putting all food scraps in the compost. This closed loop benefits our wallets, our communities, and our environment.
      • If you choose to line your compost container, use newspaper, a paper bag, or a compostable bag.